The Sacramento Kings have landed the veteran point guard they’d been chasing, agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Ben Simmons, the three-time NBA All-Star who sat out the 2025-26 season.
Simmons, 30, had been making it clear he wanted back in the league, and Sacramento had quickly become the team most linked to him. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Simmons visited the Kings in Sacramento on Monday for medical exams, an on-court workout, and meetings with coach Doug Christie and other staffers. Charania also said Simmons worked out for general manager Scott Perry in late August and met with Perry for an hour.
"By all accounts within the Kings as well as Team Australia officials where Simmons participated in a players-only minicamp last month, the 30-year-old has looked and felt strong health-wise."
His agents, Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney, told ESPN’s Shams Charania and Marc J. Spears that the former No. 1 overall pick is back in the NBA for a 10th season.
The fit in Sacramento is easy to see. The Kings needed help at point guard, more size, and more defense, and Simmons checks those boxes even with the obvious concern that has followed him for years: the three-point shot. Still, he brings playmaking, defensive versatility, and enough ballhandling to matter.
In his last full season, Simmons put up 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 stocks per game with the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers in 2024-25. He shot 52% from the field and 72.7% from the free-throw line.
Sacramento’s alternatives were hardly overwhelming. Victor Oladipo, Cameron Payne, and Elfird Payton were among the other free agent names tied to the Kings, but Simmons stood out as the clearest option in that group. The safer route would have been a younger piece, but the Kings chose the bigger swing.
After taking a season away to get healthy and sharpen his game, Simmons now has a chance to show a version of himself that hasn’t been seen in years. His role isn’t settled yet, but he could slot in as a backup point guard or a backup forward who handles the ball.
At his peak, Simmons was a 6-foot-10 point guard and a two-time All-Defensive Team selection. If he can even get close to that level in Sacramento, the Kings may have found a move that changes the conversation around them.
In Other News...
Jerry Reynolds Just Floated A Risky Kings Option Worth Watching
Jerry Reynolds has never been shy about weighing the Kings next move, and his latest thought exercise put a familiar high-risk name back in the conversation. Reynolds said he is skeptical about Sacramento pursuing Ben Simmons, but he also made the case that there is a version of the deal that could make sense if the price is right. For a Kings roster built around Darius Acuff Jr., Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray, the appeal is easy to see: Simmons still brings size, passing and defensive versatility that could fill a very specific need if the contract and expectations are manageable.
The catch is the same one that has followed Simmons for years, and Reynolds did not ignore it. Fit remains the central question, along with where Simmons is in his career now and whether the Kings would be wise to attach any meaningful risk to the idea. Even so, Reynolds contrasted Simmons NBA resume with the uncertainty that often comes with other recent lottery picks, which is why the discussion matters at all for Sacramento. If the Kings are looking for a swing that could raise their ceiling without costing them heavily, Simmons is the kind of name that forces the front office to at least think it through. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Just Got Another Brutal Reminder Of Their Team's Climb
The Kings have spent much of the past two decades trying to climb back into the kind of consistent relevance that once felt routine, and the stretch since Rick Adelman left has been especially punishing. Sacramento has made just one playoff appearance in that span, a reminder of how hard it has been to put together both stability and sustained success. Even with Vivek Ranadive now in his 13th year overseeing the franchise and Scott Perry making encouraging moves through the draft and broader rebuild, the bigger picture still looks like a team trying to turn progress into something lasting.
Bleacher Reports latest outlook only adds to the frustration, projecting Sacramento to sit at the bottom of its power rankings over the next three seasons. For a fan base that has already waited through years of turnover and near-misses, it is another harsh reminder that the climb back is still very much a climb. The organization continues to frame the work as a long-term project, but the outside view suggests the Kings still have a long way to go before the rest of the league believes the turnaround is real. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Starting Five Comes With One Huge Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Kings are entering another season with a lineup that looks better on paper than it ever got to look on the court last year. Sacramento spent the 2025-2026 campaign fighting through roster imbalance and a long list of injuries, and the projected starters never once managed to take the floor together. Now the expected five for 2026-2027, with Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray and Darius Acuff Jr., at least gives the franchise a clearer picture of what it wants to be.
Still, clarity is not the same thing as stability, and that is where the concern comes in for a team trying to build under a relatively new general manager and head coach. Injuries have already shown how fragile the plan can be, and potential trades involving LaVine, Sabonis and Hunter could alter the whole shape of the rotation before it ever settles in. For a young Kings group in the middle of a rebuild, the biggest question is not just who starts, but whether this version of the starting five will last long enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]